I have no financial interest in the following:

Kirkwood Outfitters (gunshop)in Kirkwood, MO has a 95% Ithaca SKB 12 gauge with 28" M&F barrels @ $500. Seemed like a good deal to me, and thought someone here might be interested.

JERRY

I would think that is the right price. Now if it was a 20 ga. Model 200, that would be a good price.

That's under current prices I'm seeing. Compare to what else is available on the market, that's one heck of a deal. SKB's in general--except maybe the 280's--are undervalued in my opinion. And the 280's look pretty good, when you compare prices to BSS Sporters.

The best buy in the market.

Some are paying that and more for nitro specials. Look at the inards of a SKB for a pleasant suprise. I personally like the older Ithaca versions that where all blued as opposed to the later versions that had black chrome barrels. But I guess the black chrome would make a good bad weather gun.

I have an SKB (non Ithaca) 200E 12ga., and it is for sure my favorite shooter.

Tanky, when you say "the older Ithaca versions that were all blued", I assume you're referring to the guns Ithaca made itself, not those made for Ithaca by SKB. Far as I know, all the Ithaca SKB's had black chrome barrels. Later, non-Ithaca marketed SKB's did have blued barrels.

Larry, I have an early(?) Ithaca SKB Model 100(20ga.) in near mint condition with blued barrels and a black chromed frame and a real wood grain stock(not fake grain). What does the serial# tell? 204XXX.

Jerry, I'm in the St. Louis area, and I have a hunting buddy that might be interested in that gun. Do you have any contact information for Kirkwood outfitters. I've never herd of them.

Thanks,
Tim

Mr Brown, My Ithaca SKB 100 was purchased new in 1969-70 and the barrels are blued and the frame is blued also. My Serial number is S1777XX. I own another one that was built later and the frame is blued and the barrels are black chromed serial no S51113XX There may have been many diffrent variations built over the years. My friend claims to have one with a single under bolt lock up( like a Parker) as opposed to a double lock up that you see on most of them but I have not seen it yet. By the way guys. I was at the Allentown Pa show today and saw a Ithaca SKB 100 20Ga. in the box with papers for about $1100. It appeared to be new but I couldn't get near the table because of other customers.

Larry, my Model 500 20ga o/u SST circa 70s has blue frame and barrels marked right side "Made by SKB Arms Company, Japan" and on left "SKB Model 500 20ga 3" chamber proof tested Mitsui&Co. (U.S.A.) Inc., Chicago, Ill. Bought it new for $CAN180, couldn't take it from me without a fight.

Guys, I'm not sure you're distinguishing "blued" from the standard Ithaca SKB black chrome finish. It looks like bluing, only duller than much of the bright blue you see on barrels (of other guns). If there is a difference between the receiver and the barrels . . .if it's the barrels that look shiny in comparison, I'd suspect reblue. I have seen a couple of those (and in one case I know for sure it was a reblue, because I knew the guy who had it done). I've never seen one with a receiver that looked to have a standard blued finish and black chrome barrels (receiver would appear shiny in comparison, I'd say). Later SKB imports, without the Ithaca name, late 80's and starting again in the 90's--by that time, they weren't doing the black chrome process any more, because as I understand it, that had been halted by the Japanese equivalent of the EPA.
(But those guns had other differences anyhow, like coin finished receivers and choke tubes.) Might be some late Ithaca guns that were blued, and possibly the Mitsui-marked guns as well, which came at the end of the first sxs import period back in the mid-70's. Haven't seen a Mitsui-marked SKB in quite some time, and have never seen a blued Ithaca SKB (other than barrel reblue) as far as I can recall--and I've seen a whole bunch of them, both sxs and OU.

Larry, I can assure you that my earlier Ithaca SKB 100 has both blued barrels and a blued frame. The blueing is turning white on the bottom of the frame from carrying and is taking on a red hue that can be seen in bright sun light. The color of the blue mathches on barrels and frame. The second model 100 that I bought later cheap from someone has a blued frame and black chrome barrels. It is quite easy to tell the diffrence on this gun because it has spent some time in a salt marsh and one side of the frame is rusty but the barrels are perfectly black. I also have a Ithaca SKB skeet gun that has black chrome barrels. Around 2002 I sent this gun back to Japan to have the forend lug rebrazed. When the gun was returned to me they made sure that they got a little heavy handed with the buffing wheel over the words "Custom Crafted For Ithaca By SKB" so that it can't be read so easilly. They sent it back with the barrels black chromed. So I can assume that they can and do chrome platting at this latter date. I also inquired about having a second set of barrels made for it while it was in Japan and they said that they could do it and I was quoted a price of over $1000. I figured I could buy another gun for that amount so didn't do it.

My Model 100 20 ga was bought when I was in college in the mid 70's it is an Ithaca and it has black chrome body and barrels.... Now if someone could tell me what black chrome is and where I can have my reciever retreated I'd appreciate it!

Jerry

Interesting, Tanky. Happened to talk to a guy who's been in the gun business for a long time today, and he said he'd never seen blued Ithaca SKB's either--all black chrome (except some of the higher grade guns, which had a silver nitride receiver). But I suppose there's a first time for everything. I have most definitely seen black chromed Ithaca SKB's on which either the receiver or the barrels (or both) are starting to get whitish in color, presumably due to handling or other wear.

Jerry, I imagine there are more than a few Ithaca SKB owners out there that would like to have their metalwork freshened up. Don't know of anywhere in this country, however, where you'd end up with anything but a blued gun as a result.

Larry, I currently have one with chromed barrels and blued receiver. When I bought it, the fellow had another that had blued barrels that needed redone. It was an ejector gun and I assume it was a 200E.

Lenard

I have a Model 150 that had a blued receiver. It's now case colored and it came out very nice.

Gordon